Chapter 87

Chapter 87: The True Master of the Rift

After the morning service ended, I first sent the three front-of-house staff outside the Rift through a Gate portal.

A belated Lunar New Year break for them.

After recovering a certain amount of Mana, the Sword Saint and Eriksson came out of the Rift with us.

"Please enjoy the holiday, sir."

"I will. You have a good holiday too, Seon-u."

"Eriksson, have a good trip home."

"Got it...... I will be back soon."

"Take your time."

Eriksson would celebrate the holiday with the Sword Saint, then return to his own country to see his family.

'Santos apparently arrived in the U.S. a few days ago too.'

The leaders and enforcers of the South American Awakened Cartel Union and other key figures had been escorted into custody, making international headlines.

After the Sword Saint and Eriksson departed by taxi, Rin, Ria, and I got in the car and headed to the columbarium where my father's ashes were enshrined.

We arrived, parked, and made our way to the third floor.

We stood before my father's memorial niche.

Rin tugged at my arm.

"Seon-u, where is this?"

"This is where your grandfather's memorial niche is. He was my father, and your grandfather."

"Rin's gwandpa?"

"That is right."

I lifted Rin up and showed her the photograph beside the niche.

A photo of my father and me, taken at my middle school graduation.

Rin looked at the photo and said,

"It's little Seon-u."

"You recognized me?"

"Gwandpa looks just like Seon-u."

"He does, right?"

I bore a particularly strong resemblance to my father.

I set Rin down.

Standing side by side with Ria, I said,

"Let us have a moment of silence."

"Okay."

I closed my eyes and thought of my father.

Many memories came flooding back.

'I miss you, Father.'

I opened my eyes.

Rin placed a flower she had personally grown beside the niche.

That flower would not wither for a long time.

Beside Rin's single flower sat a small bouquet.

'Mother must have left it.'

She had mentioned she would visit the day before.

As I stepped outside, I said to Ria,

"Someday, if it is possible, let us visit the Continent of Bellinta and pay respects at your father's grave."

"Yes, let us do that."

We got back in the car and headed to the lodging where my mother was staying.

My mother had recently been transferred to the Korean branch.

She had also been provided housing and was currently staying in a 24-pyeong apartment.

We headed there.

When we rang the doorbell at the right-side unit on the 13th floor of Building 108, the door opened shortly after.

"Is my daughter-in-law here? Rin, come in too."

My mother warmly welcomed Ria and Rin.

"Mother, have you been well?"

"Gwandma, hello."

My mother's face brightened at their greetings.

As we stepped inside —

"Something smells wonderful, Mother."

At my words, my mother spoke as if it were nothing.

"I just whipped up a few things."

"You did not have to go through the trouble."

"What are you saying? Of course I have to when my daughter-in-law and granddaughter are visiting."

She had called Rin her granddaughter.

It seemed she had fully accepted Rin as one.

When we entered the living room, the table was laden with a generous spread.

Ria covered her mouth when she saw it.

"Wow, Mother, what is all this?"

"My skills are modest, but I gave it a try. When I asked Seon-u, he said you would be making Lunar New Year dishes, so I skipped things like jeon and japchae and prepared Western-style dishes instead."

On the table were beautifully roasted beef and oven-roasted chicken, pasta, Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, pumpkin salad, vegetable salad, and what appeared to be homemade apple pie, bread, and cake.

"Your cooking skills are wonderful, Mother."

"Compared to a professional chef, my skills are meager."

I shook my head at my mother's words.

The food was still steaming.

"No, this is impressive. You timed the cooking to finish right when we arrived."

"I did."

"Timing cooking to the minute is not easy. I must have inherited my culinary talent from you, Mother."

"You think so? Haha!"

We sat down and ate the meal my mother had lovingly prepared.

Rin enjoyed the vegetable pasta, pumpkin salad, apple pie, and other dishes.

I could tell the menu had been planned with Rin in mind.

Ria said while tasting the food,

"Seon-u definitely inherited his culinary talent from you, Mother. Everything is delicious."

"Eat plenty."

After the meal, we sipped tea and chatted about various things.

My mother was surprised to hear that I was planning to purchase a small building.

"Has it not been only a short time since you opened the restaurant? You have already saved that much money?"

"Yes. It is all thanks to my wife and Rin."

I boasted about the two of them.

How Ria had made it possible for me to safely stay on the Fourth Floor of the Rift.

How the monster meat she hunted had allowed me to build my financial foundation.

And how Rin's Dryad abilities had enabled the Rift restaurant to flourish.

I had said it before, but it could never be said enough.

Upon hearing all of that, my mother held Ria's hand with her left hand and stroked Rin's head with her right as Rin sat on her lap.

"They really are blessings. Seon-u, you are truly fortunate in the people you have met."

"I suppose I am."

Ria looked at my mother and said,

"Rin and I helped, but fundamentally it is because Seon-u himself is so talented."

"Humble on top of everything else. I need to spend the rest of my life grateful for having met such a perfect daughter-in-law."

I nodded at my mother's words.

"I also plan to spend the rest of my life grateful for having met such a perfect wife."

"You do that."

Ria blushed with embarrassment.

Rin, apparently happy, smiled brightly.

My mother said,

"If you are short on funds when purchasing the building, tell me. I will help."

"It is all right. I have more than enough funds. I appreciate the thought."

Ria then told my mother about their plans for a second child.

She said that Rin wanted a sibling, so they had decided to try.

Ria had brought it up thinking my mother would be happy to hear it.

'Mother would never ask first. She blames herself for being a bad mother.'

She would never say anything that might burden Ria and me.

So Ria was bringing it up first, knowing my mother would be curious.

My mother's face lit up.

"Really? Then I can look forward to news of Rin's sibling."

"Yes. We are working on it."

Ahem!

The phrase "working on it" was a little embarrassing.

My mother stroked Rin's hair.

"Rin, you wanted a sibling."

"Yes! A sibling. Hehe!"

"How can Rin be this lovable?"

My mother adored Rin endlessly.

We continued chatting over tea.

Then we took my mother to the Seoul Arboretum for a walk.

Rin loved it, as expected.

My mother enjoyed the arboretum too.

'It has been a long time since I spent a holiday with family.'

Since my father's passing, this was the first time — nearly over a decade.

'Father, I am getting along well with Mother now, and I have a new family. I am doing well. So please do not worry about me.'

I sent my regards to my father, who would be watching from above.

***

After the holiday, we continued the business as usual.

At night, Ria and I often walked along the southern coast of the volcanic zone.

In hopes that another octopus monster like the Krakpus might show up.

During those explorations, we caught one more Krakpus.

Octopus was good, but I also wanted crustaceans or fish monsters — though we had not yet found any.

I also continued searching for new locations through the Gate portal's random setting.

In hopes of finding something new on an unexplored map.

The result:

"There might be something here......"

It was a dungeon that clearly looked profitable.

Luminous crystal-like stones were embedded in the walls.

"I should explore this place."

Ria was currently putting Rin to sleep.

So I would go in alone briefly, take in the scenery, and come back out.

That way I could return anytime.

I grabbed only the spear that was leaning against the wall, activated the Gate portal, and stepped inside.

The system message that appeared upon arrival left me stunned.

[You have entered a Mana-restricted zone.]

A Mana-restricted zone......?

"What is this......"

I tried to use Acresia.

It would not activate.

A sudden chill of fear ran through me.

If I encountered a powerful monster in this state......?

I realized just how dependent I had been on Mana.

Moreover, with no dangerous incidents in the Rift recently, I had let my guard down.

I had recklessly entered an unknown place all by myself.

'I cannot let panic take over. Stay calm.'

First, I needed to assess what this place was.

I heightened my Presence Detection and began to move.

'I have been through plenty of Rifts before.'

I had explored many dungeon-type Rifts in search of new ingredients.

Dungeons were familiar territory. The only difference was that I could not use Mana.

But my stats alone placed me at S-Rank level.

'The problem is food.'

I had no idea how large this dungeon Rift was.

I would have to survive until I either found an exit or cleared the boss.

For that, I needed food and water.

'I can survive without food, but I need water.'

I gripped my spear, focused on Presence Detection, and moved carefully through the dungeon.

There might be drinkable water, or moisture might have collected on the walls.

At every position I passed, I scratched an X and Roman numerals into the wall with a stone.

To distinguish and remember the places I had already been.

DRIP DRIP!

Water droplets fell from the wall.

I touched one with my finger and tasted it.

'This water is drinkable.'

My sensitive palate detected nothing concerning.

It might still be risky, but survival was the priority, so I had no choice but to rely on my sense of taste.

The same applied to food.

I continued exploring the dungeon slowly.

According to my analog watch, twenty hours had passed.

I had not encountered any monsters yet.

'Is this a safe dungeon?'

My tension eased slightly.

I continued marking my path as I explored the entire eastern section of the dungeon.

Fortunately, the dungeon did not seem very large.

Was it simply a mine-type dungeon?

Occasionally, gem-like ores were embedded in the walls.

'I want to mine them, but I need to restrain myself.'

The World Rift Management Council had recommended that non-specialists refrain from mining ores inside dungeons.

Some dungeon ores could contain high-concentration radioactive materials.

More importantly, I needed to conserve my stamina right now.

After the east, I explored the north.

The northern section was slightly larger.

There, I discovered a pool of clear water. After tasting it and determining it was safe, I quenched my thirst.

'There has to be an exit somewhere.'

I returned to my starting point and explored the west.

The west had nothing noteworthy.

Then I explored the south.

'The south is vast.'

Far too vast.

It was the fourth day of exploring without sleep or food.

Exhaustion was beginning to set in.

'Ria and Rin must be so worried.'

The Hunters at the Fourth Floor restaurant outpost must also be waiting, wondering why the restaurant was closed.

For their sake, I would survive and return no matter what.

I needed to rest my eyes, even briefly, to recover stamina.

Worried that a monster might appear, I gripped my spear tightly and tried to sleep.

I was pulled under almost instantly.

***

-Seon-u, wake up.

Ria was shaking my shoulder.

Was it morning already?

When I opened my eyes, Ria would be smiling as warmly as sunlight, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

The happy mornings I enjoyed every day.

I slowly opened my eyes.

"......"

But Ria was not beside me.

I was still inside the Mana-restricted dungeon.

Where I lay was not a bed but cold stone ground.

I was reminded anew of just how precious the happiness I had been living with Ria truly was.

I would reclaim my happy daily life without fail.

I steeled my resolve and resumed exploring the southern section of the dungeon.

Then I sensed someone's presence.

'So there are monsters here after all.'

Or perhaps not a monster.

The owner of that presence was approaching.

I hid behind a corner.

TAP TAP TAP!

The footsteps of a bipedal walker.

The moment a foot came into view around the corner, I was about to ambush with my spear.

But then —

"Gasp!"

My spear stopped just before the bridge of the startled figure's nose.

I had halted my attack upon confirming the target was not a monster.

I studied his appearance.

A full beard. Short and stocky in stature but with an extremely robust build.

He matched the description of dwarves that Ashley had given.

"Could you be...... a dwarf?"

Even though I could not use Mana, would the Sigil of Wisdom — the communication magic engraved in my magical accessory — still work?

"Yes, I am a dwarf, but......"

It worked.

He was indeed a dwarf.

The dwarf then spoke, trembling.

"Could you be...... the successor of Acresia?"

The name Acresia came from his lips.

"I am, but how do you know about Acresia?"

The dwarf dropped to his knees before me.

"We have waited so many long years, O True Master of the Rift!"

Out of nowhere?

No, that could wait.

GRUMBLE!

Resolving my hunger took priority over resolving my curiosity.

"Um, would it be possible to get something to eat?"